Rail News

Germany: 3,600 Apprentices Start with Deutsche Bahn

Around 3,600 apprentices enjoyed their first day of work at Deutsche Bahn on 3 September. Showing up to their first shift in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Leipzig, Mannheim and Munich, they were greeted by members of the management board and many other Deutsche Bahn employees.

Most of these apprentices have entered one of three jobs: around 570 will work as train dispatchers, around 520 as train drivers and around 480 as electronics technicians.

2018 is also the first time DB is offering a company-wide programme for educational support during the training period. This programme, which will be provided by various local businesses, is intended to increase motivation and performance and to give individual support to any apprentices who might be falling behind. The scheme also aims to reduce the number of drop-outs. From this month on around 700 apprentices will be able to take advantage of this support programme.

Deutsche Bahn’s CEO Richard Lutz said:

“I want to wish our young colleagues a good start to their working lives with us. I’m certain they’ll bring a lot of fresh energy. We need the next generation and their skills and commitment in order to make Deutsche Bahn fit for the future.”

The trainees who have entered the traditional jobs such as train driver and dispatcher as well as those in industrial, technical jobs such as electronics engineering and mechatronics are all given a tablet at the start of their studies. This year Deutsche Bahn will hand out around 2,500 devices, doubling the number of 2017.

Martin Seiler, Member of the Management Board for Human Resources and Legal Affairs, said:

“In this age of digitalisation and a working environment that is changing fundamentally we must make training future-proof. For that reason DB is strengthening digital skills – for example with updated training plans and by equipping apprentices with tablets. We must nurture IT competencies and instil in our new recruits a willingness to change. We must equip them for life-long learning.”

Deutsche Bahn wants to abolish job application letters starting in autumn. It is not just one of the biggest hurdles for applicants, it also often says very little. Instead, Deutsche Bahn wants to place increased importance on face-to-face conversations.

In October 400 dual students will start working for Deutsche Bahn, meaning that around 20 percent of the new hires will be individuals starting out in work for the first time. In total Deutsche Bahn will employ around 19,000 new members of staff this year.

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